Chasing Jagtar Singh Tara: How India foxed Pakistan

Jagtar Singh Tara is no ordinary terrorist. This man who plotted and executed the killing of former chief minister of Punjab, Beant Singh was brought down recently from Thailand, but the agency officials of India managed so after a sensational chase.

Interception, cross interception and almost missing the target‎ India's spy agency finally got the better of the ISI. What the ISI had planned was to move him out of Thailand to Pakistan when they realised that India had rounded Tara up.

The chase:

Since an year India has been tracking every movement of Tara. They finally tracked him to Thailand‎ six months back. He had landed in Thailand from Pakistan and was sent by the ISI to set up an arms base in a bid to revive Punjab militancy.

However when the Indian agencies got wind of the fact that he landed in Thailand they also realised that he was a prized man for the ISI. It took a bit of coaxing to ensure that even the Thail agencies join the operation which they finally agreed to do.

When it was decided that the Thai authorities would send him to India, the ISI got wind of this and planned a major escape for Tara. They arranged a van to ferry him to the airport, prepared fake passports and even booked him on a flight.

The ISI also arranged for four escort vehicles to ensure his safe entry into the airport. The Indian agencies got wind of this and moved quickly to pull him out of his den in Thailand and ensure he flew into India overnight.

Why is Tara important for the ISI:

Tara was to head one of the several assaults under the Karachi Project. The militants from Punjab who were sheltered by the ISI have been training to revive Punjab militancy and Tara was nurtured to lead this operation.

He was being specifically handled by a Colonel in the ISI named Islami Choudhary.‎ It was Choudhary who sent him to Thailand's Mea Sot area to set up an arms unit.

In addition to this the ISI was planning on setting up a dedicated base for Punjab militants in Thailand. This was planned with an intent of launching all Punjab militant actions from Thailand in a bid to shift focus away from Pakistan.

The D-Company:

When it comes to Thailand the ISI automatically looks to Dawood Ibrahim. His network runs deep in Thailand where they is a lot of demand for the drugs he supplies.

In addition to this the D company also has a roaring arms business in Thailand and this ensures that the route is a well networked one. The D company's Thailand network is over 15 years old and this makes its group members experts with the terrain.

The men from the D gang have helped the ISI set up shop in Thailand. For the ISI Thailand is not just a launch pad for their terrorists but also a hub to earn a great deal of money through arms and drug smuggling.